Slider

Slider

ATP! Album Review: Hozier - S/T

The name Hozier will not be forgotten for a very, very long time.

The Irish singer-songwriter’s recent self-titled debut is nothing short of incredible. The
album is a wickedly deft, hauntingly beautiful collection of stories – because Hozier, at
his core, is a storyteller, and the tales embedded in his songs are breathtaking. Capable of
soaring to stunning highs and swooping to the darkest of lows, the debut release is one of
the very few that actually manages to live up to the hype surrounding it.

After the viral fame of the chilling single, “Take Me To Church,” as well as the track’s
music video that criticizes Russia’s illegalization of homosexuality, Hozier was well on
his way to a successful career in the music industry, and this album cements his fame.
Featuring songs from Hozier’s From Eden and Take Me To Church EPs, like “Angel
of Small Death and the Codeine Scene,” “To Be Alone,” and “Work Song,” the album
builds upon the momentum created in previous releases.
The album opens with the unforgettable “Take Me To Church,” an enormous song that is
certainly quite an experience for any first-time listeners. Hozier establishes his impressive
vocal talent, cleverly focusing the raw power within the track that, at times, threatens to
overspill. He has a distinct feel for a narrative; a precise way with words that elevates
the urgent, haunting, and wild feel of this opening track. “Take Me To Church” does
not need another review attesting to its brilliance, but it must be said that this song is
astonishing in its ability to sink into a listener’s bones like a damp rain.

Moving through the sexually charged “Angel of Small Death and the Codeine Scene,”
which uses the device of a female bringing damnation – a lovely antithesis to the themes
in “Take Me To Church” – Hozier begins to further deploy the blues-driven jazz that will
likely become his signature. “Jackie and Wilson” hooks the listener from the opening
riffs, almost like going for a joyride on an early autumn day. Hozier can sing a ballad
that is capable of wrenching guts, but “Jackie and Wilson” proves he can be a damn rock
star as well. The rhythm is infectious and delightful, the lyrics reaching for the feeling of
happiness and youth through the love of someone who understands the narrator – and will
raise their children, named Jackie and Wilson, on “rhythm and blues.”

“To Be Alone” was previously only available as a live recording for most Hozier fans.
On the album, however, listeners are treated to a studio version that features a drum-
driven beat. This bluesy, folk-infused track is achingly lovely, as well as urgent and
seductive, the verses building to the release found in the chorus where Hozier lets loose
with his vocals. Hozier also calls out the rape culture often prevalent in today’s society
and music with a sharp line about “crude and proud creatures baying.”

Another highlight to the album is “Sedated,” a gorgeous and chilling song, complex in
its scope and emotions. “Sedated” is raw and dark, but elegantly produced, capturing
between its verses the feeling of walking home alone in the rain and thinking about
being alone forever. And yet, it is a beautiful track – with a drive and a journey all of
its own, driven by classical blues. The lyrics are looking for peace, but a twisted kind,
one that seeks utter numbness. “Work Song” follows, building upon the atmosphere,
slow and deep, but never overly heavy. Pithy lyrics like “sweet as can be / she’d give me
toothaches just from kissing me” are peppered throughout the track, existing effortlessly
alongside the enormous lines of the chorus: “lay me gently in the cold, dark earth / no
grave can hold my body down / I’ll crawl home to her.”

Another standout on the album, “It Will Come Back” could, like “Jackie and Wilson,”
easily find a home on radio, but without pandering to the often-unoriginal, bland tastes
that unfortunately populate some top charts. The track is slick as all hell, raw and blues-
imbued, telling a story of lovesickness. The resonating drums thud like a heartbeat, sultry
against the lyrics: “Jesus Christ, don’t be kind to me / Honey don’t feed me / I will come
back.” The last moments of the song are particularly wild and messy and lovely, with
Hozier singing, “you’ll hear me howling outside your door,” followed by a real, gritty
howl from the musician.

A couple thousand words could be devoted to exploring the complexity and beauty in
Hozier’s self-titled debut. Each song holds its own tale – with inherent darkness and light
– and yet, the album as a whole is cohesive, each track building off the next before taking
the listener somewhere new. Hozier is an artist of monumental talent because he knows
not only how to tell a story, but how to wrap the words of that story around listeners’
hands and pull them in close.

5/5

Victoria Mier

Hozier's self-titled debut album is available now via Columbia Records.